“No, Qin Ming felt his heart rate suddenly accelerate, as if it was about to jump out of his throat. He quickly called his wife, asking her to bring his heart medication. He took two pills, trying to calm himself down. After a moment, he asked, “To your knowledge, who is the strongest person on Earth right now?”
Qin Yu answered without hesitation, confidently, “It should be the Ancient One from Kamar-Taj. She is definitely a Father-level powerhouse, and she also holds the Time Stone. If it weren't for her, Earth would probably have ceased to exist long ago. Earth is like an enticing large cake, and countless forces are secretly coveting it.”
Qin Yu sighed, then continued, “Alas, the Ancient One is ultimately just a human, not a deity. Her lifespan is limited, and she cannot protect Earth for too long. The moment she passes away and exits the stage of history, those hidden demons will surely all jump out. Earth is too weak, yet possesses too many treasures. As the saying goes, ‘An innocent man is guilty because of his treasure’!”
His grandson’s words, like a continuous and powerful series of punches, struck Qin Ming’s heart heavily, one after another. Hearing Qin Yu say this, he realized that Earth would likely face an unprecedented great upheaval in the future—no, to be precise, it would be a world-ending catastrophe.
Qin Ming steadied himself, his gaze fixed on Qin Yu, and said, “I know you too well, you rascal. You are definitely not the kind of person who would sit idly by and wait for death. Tell me, what do you plan to do?”
Qin Yu smiled wryly and said, “Grandpa, you understand me. The chaotic future is both a huge risk and a rare opportunity. All I can do right now is wait for the right moment, then work hard to make myself stronger, hoping to be able to protect the entire Qin family and weather this crisis together.”
Qin Yu’s answer shocked both elderly individuals.
After a while, Grandma Li Mei gently held Qin Ming’s hand and softly said, “If it truly reaches an irreversible point, Xiao Yu, you don’t need to worry about any of us. Your primary task is to save yourself. As long as you are alive, the Qin family’s legacy can continue. Your Grandpa and I have lived for decades; it’s enough.”
Qin Yu couldn’t help but scrutinize the old lady, secretly marveling, “Good heavens, my Grandma, who usually looks so kind and benevolent, turns out to be so decisive and ruthless at heart. She acts much more decisively than Grandpa.”
Seemingly sensing her grandson’s gaze, the old lady’s face hardened, and she said, “Xiao Yu, do you think Grandma is heartless? You’ve grown up; you need to remember one principle: in a chaotic world, to survive, you must be ruthless.”
Grandpa Qin Ming nodded in agreement from the side, “That’s right. If a person isn’t ruthless, their path won’t be stable. Did you hear that clearly?”
“Oh my!” Qin Yu felt his worldview was significantly impacted. The way these two elderly individuals educated their junior was clearly not something an ordinary family would have; it was more like the style of an aristocratic family. Coupled with Grandpa’s previous mentions of the clan, Qin Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Grandpa, Grandma, what exactly are your identities? Why do I feel like our family is a bit unusual?”
Qin Ming sighed helplessly and said, “Alas, I didn’t plan to tell you so early, but now that circumstances have changed, let me tell you about the origin of the Qin family.”
The Qin family, or more accurately, the Ying family, had as its ancestor Ying Zheng, who ended the Warring States period two thousand years ago, unified Great Xia, established the Great Qin Dynasty, and was revered as the First Emperor. Ying Zheng, this name left a strong mark in history. In the central government, he implemented the system of Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers to manage national affairs; locally, he decisively abolished the enfeoffment system, replacing it with the prefecture and county system; at the same time, he promoted unified writing, unified carriages, and unified currency and weights and measures. Externally, he attacked the Xiongnu to the north, conquered Baiyue to the south, and built the world-renowned Great Wall…
People’s evaluations of him were mixed. Some praised him as a savior, ending centuries of war and strife, calling him an emperor of the ages; but others accused him of being tyrannical and bloodthirsty, and for carrying out the burning of books and burying of scholars.
If one were to ask Qin Ming for his opinion on the First Emperor, he would answer: Although Ying Zheng was a mortal with seven emotions and six desires, he accomplished great feats beyond ordinary people. He was a legendary figure, unprecedented and possibly unrivaled, and the entire vast empire of Great Qin existed almost solely because of him.
However, Qin Yu had a question in his heart. According to historical records, the direct descendants of Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng were basically all wiped out in the power struggles within the imperial family. So where did his own lineage come from? Could it be the descendants of an illegitimate child?
Facing his grandson’s question, Qin Ming provided the answer.
Their branch descended from the First Emperor’s fifth son, Gongzi Gao. In those years, the First Emperor Ying Zheng unfortunately died during his tour of the world. Hu Hai, in collusion with the eunuch Zhao Gao and the prime minister Li Si, altered the imperial decree, thereby ascending to the throne. To consolidate his rule, Hu Hai not only forced the First Emperor’s eldest son, Fusu, to commit suicide but also brutally persecuted his other siblings.
Gongzi Gao’s mother was a direct descendant of the Great Qin’s famous general, Bai Qi. The Bai family’s influence in the Great Qin Military was extraordinary, being the third largest clan at the time, only after the Meng and Wang families. Hu Hai would never let Gongzi Gao go. For the continuation of the family bloodline, publicly, Gongzi Gao reluctantly killed his wives, concubines, and biological children, and vowed to guard the First Emperor’s tomb for life. Secretly, however, he ordered his loyal retainers to escort his illegitimate son, Ying Wang, to change his name and flee to a distant land.
Ying Wang, who escaped the fatal disaster, changed his name to Qin Wang. Under the protection of the loyal retainers and his father’s earnest expectations, he managed to survive. After the fall of Great Qin, the Liu family established the Great Han Dynasty. Qin Wang, relying on the gold, silver, and jewels left by his father and his loyal retainers, gathered a group of old Qin people and established a third-rate aristocratic family.
For two thousand years, the Qin family has experienced the rise and fall of many dynasties, but has always been passed down to this day. After learning all this, Qin Yu couldn’t help but be speechless. He never expected that Grandpa Qin Ming was a descendant of the First Emperor, and Grandma Li Mei, whose original name was Bai Mei, was a descendant of Bai Qi, the God of Slaughter of Great Qin. No wonder these two elders were so decisive in their actions; after all, their ancestors were all peerless ruthless individuals.
“Grandpa, what’s the situation with the clan you often mention? Are we part of the main branch or a side branch? How many people are in the family now?” Qin Yu rattled off a string of questions.
“As for the exact number of people on the current Qin family tree, you’d have to ask the Old Clan Elder’s lineage to know for sure. The Qin family doesn’t have a strictly defined main branch; it’s divided into eight side branches. We belong to the eighth side branch, and I am the patriarch of the eighth side branch. Nowadays, there’s little contact between the various side branches of the Qin family. Take our branch, for example: the ancestral land of our branch is in Qin City, a rural area in Guanzhong, with about four hundred people. Everyone has their own lives. Most people live in the ancestral land, and there are also those like your Grandpa, who have made a good living working outside. The people of our branch are relatively sentimental; family members who are well-off often send money back to help those who are facing difficulties in life,” Qin Ming said, a hint of embarrassment on his face, feeling that his abilities were limited and he could only contribute a portion of his wealth each year to subsidize the family, hoping to make life a bit more comfortable for the family members.
Qin Yu asked, “Grandpa, how is your prestige within the family? As the saying goes, ‘Many hands make light work.’ I think if we could rally a group of people within the family and establish a guard team to protect the safety of the eighth side branch.”
Qin Yu naturally had his own considerations for doing this. He didn’t have the ability to be in multiple places at once, and if he had to do everything himself, problems would arise sooner or later. It would be better to have a reliable group of subordinates. If he could truly train a trustworthy team from his blood relatives, it would be a significant help for his future development. Furthermore, for a family like the Qin family, which has been passed down for thousands of years, the family members have a very strong sense of belonging to the Qin family, and the chance of betrayal is relatively small.
Grandpa helplessly told Qin Yu that gathering a reliable group of people itself wasn’t the problem, but the key was that ordinary people were like cannon fodder in the face of extraordinary power. In this day and age, no one is foolish; who would be willing to be cannon fodder?
Qin Yu smiled mysteriously and said, “I have a way to create a batch of F-class or even E-class warriors. Someone once invented a primary genetic serum; after injection, as long as one’s willpower can withstand the pain, they can possess immense strength. If they are also equipped with high-tech exoskeleton armor and weapons, even E-class powerhouses would probably have to steer clear.” Of course, the prerequisite for exchanging these items was to have enough points, and Qin Yu did not tell this to the old man.
“But I have to be clear about this upfront, Grandpa. I give them power, and they must obey my commands. Don’t talk to me about seniority,” Qin Yu said with a serious expression.
Qin Ming naturally understood Qin Yu’s meaning and nodded in agreement: “Don’t worry, Xiao Yu. The Qin family is a place with rules. If there are truly people who don’t obey orders, just deal with them directly.”
A few days later, Qin Yu embarked on his journey to Qin City, the ancestral land of the side branch.
Qin City was actually a small village, not very large, with a population of about two thousand people. The village was mainly composed of three major surnames: Qin, Li, and Bai, with the Qin family being dominant, and the Li and Bai families assisting. The Li family here were descendants of Li You, the son of Li Si, the Prime Minister of Great Qin, and the Bai family were naturally descendants of Bai Qi. For two thousand years, the three families had always advanced and retreated together, intermarrying, and were basically all related by blood, making them all relatives.